Vernon Baker

Vernon Joseph Baker
  
Vernon Baker, awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997 for actions during World War II
Born (1919-12-17)December 17, 1919
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Died July 13, 2010(2010-07-13) (aged 90)
St. Maries, Idaho
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch  United States Army
Years of service 1941–1968
Rank First Lieutenant
Unit 370th Infantry Regiment,
92nd Infantry Division
11th Airborne Division
Battles/wars World War II
Korean War
Awards Medal of Honor
Bronze Star
Purple Heart (x2)
Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare
Combat Infantry Badge.
(Distinguished Service Cross)
(Upgraded)

Vernon Joseph Baker (December 17, 1919 – July 13, 2010) was a United States Army officer who received the Medal of Honor, the highest military award given by the United States Government for his valorous actions during World War II. He was awarded the medal for his actions on April 5–6, 1945 near Viareggio, Italy. Baker was the only living black American World War II veteran of the seven belatedly awarded the Medal of Honor when it was bestowed upon him by President Bill Clinton in 1997. He died in 2010 at the age of 90.

Early life

Baker was born on December 17, 1919, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the youngest of three children. After his parents died in a car accident when he was four, he and his two sisters were raised by their paternal grandparents. His grandfather Joseph S. Baker, a railroad worker in Cheyenne, taught him to hunt in order to feed the family and became "the most influential figure in Vernon's life." His relationship with his grandmother was much more strained, and he spent a few years at the Boys Town orphanage in Nebraska to be away from her.[1]

Baker graduated from high school in his grandfather's hometown of Clarinda, Iowa. He worked as a railroad porter, a job he despised, until his grandfather's death from cancer in 1939. A series of menial jobs followed until his enlistment in the U.S. Army in mid-1941. He attempted to enlist in April 1941, but was turned away with the recruiter stating, "We don't have any quotas for you people". Baker tried again weeks later with a different recruiter and was accepted; he requested to become a quartermaster but was assigned instead to the infantry.[1]

Military service

Baker entered the Army on June 26, 1941, six months prior to the U.S. entry into World War II. He went through training at Camp Wolters, Texas, and after completing Officer Candidate School was commissioned as a second lieutenant on January 11, 1943.

In June 1944, Baker was sent to Italy with the all-black 92nd Infantry Division. He was wounded in the arm in October of that year, hospitalized near Pisa, and in December rejoined his unit in reserve along the Gothic Line.

Castle Aghinolf (2011)

In early spring, 1945, his unit was pulled from the reserve status and ordered into combat. On the morning of April 5, Baker participated in an attack on the German stronghold of Castle Aghinolfi. During the assault, Baker led his heavy weapons platoon through German army defenses to within sight of the castle, personally destroying a machine gun position, two observation posts, two bunkers, and a network of German telephone lines along the way. It was for these and other actions, including leading a battalion advance under heavy fire, that he was later awarded the Medal of Honor.[1]

After the end of the war, Baker remained in Europe with the Allied occupation forces until 1947. He lost his commission due to the lack of a college education. He was re-commissioned during the Korean War and joined the 11th Airborne Division, but did not see any combat.

After the Korean Armistice in 1953, Baker was administratively reduced to the enlisted ranks. He remained in the Army and rose to the rank of Master Sergeant. He retired from the Army in 1968 and was promoted on the retired list to first lieutenant, the highest rank he held.[1]

Medal of Honor

Vernon Baker is presented the Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton on January 13, 1997.

In 1993, a study commissioned by the U.S. Army described systematic racial discrimination in the criteria for awarding decorations during World War II. At the time, no Medals of Honor had been awarded to the black American soldiers who served in World War II. After an exhaustive review of files, the study recommended that ten black Distinguished Service Cross recipients have their military awards upgraded to the Medal of Honor. On January 13, 1997, President Bill Clinton awarded the Medal of Honor to seven of the World War II veterans; Baker was the only living recipient of the medal at the time.[2]

Baker's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism in action on 5 and 6 April 1945, near Viareggio, Italy. Then Second Lieutenant Baker demonstrated outstanding courage and leadership in destroying enemy installations, personnel, and equipment during his company's attack against a strongly entrenched enemy in mountainous terrain. When his company was stopped by the concentration of fire from several machine gun emplacements, he crawled to one position and destroyed it, killing three Germans. Continuing forward, he attacked an enemy observation post and killed two occupants. With the aid of one of his men, Lieutenant Baker attacked two more machine gun nests, killing or wounding the four enemy soldiers occupying these positions. He then covered the evacuation of the wounded personnel of his company by occupying an exposed position and drawing the enemy's fire. On the following night Lieutenant Baker voluntarily led a battalion advance through enemy mine fields and heavy fire toward the division objective. Second Lieutenant Baker's fighting spirit and daring leadership were an inspiration to his men and exemplify the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.

Family and later life

His first wife was Leola Baker.[3] His second wife was Helen.[3] His third wife was Fern Brown; the couple had three children. After Fern's death in 1986, Baker moved to a cabin in the Benewah Valley of northern Idaho. Baker was an avid hunter, and hunted elk in northern Idaho before and after moving to the area. In 1989, he met a German woman visiting the U.S., Heidy Pawlik, whom he would later marry.[1][4]

Baker died at his St. Maries, Idaho, home on July 13, 2010 after a long battle with cancer. He had been close to death from brain cancer in 2004 but had recovered. His funeral at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, DC, on September 24, 2010, was attended by three other Medal of Honor recipients, and his family. Funds for them to travel to Arlington, Virginia, were raised by their local community.[1]

Awards and decorations

Baker was awarded the following military awards:

On September 11, 2008, Vernon Baker was awarded the Sandor Teszler Award for Moral Courage and Service to Humankind by Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Along with the award, Baker received an honorary doctorate from the college.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Olsen, Ken (July 14, 2010). "World War II hero Vernon Baker dies". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010.
  2. ↑ World War II African American Medal of Honor recipients Archived June 7, 1997, at the Wayback Machine., U.S. Army.
  3. 1 2 Leder, Jane Mersky (2006). Thanks for the Memories: Love, Sex, and World War II. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 67–68. ISBN 9780275988791.
  4. ↑ Barrett, Natasha. "Only living black Medal of Honor recipient buried at Arlington National Cemetery". TBD. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
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